WARRNAMBOOL

city, southwestern Victoria, Australia, on Lady Bay, near the mouth of Hopkins River. The bay, too shallow for modern ships, was first visited in 1802 by Nicolas Baudin, a French admiral and scientific explorer. Once used by whalers, the bay was the scene of many wrecks but is now protected by a lighthouse. A settlement of graziers was organized as a village in 1847 and called Warnimble (Aboriginal for "plenty of water," or "running swamps"). It developed as an entrept for agricultural produce of the hinterland. Proclaimed a municipality (1855), a town (1883), and then a city (1918), it now depends chiefly on dairying, clothing manufacture, and the auto industry for its economic base. Cultural resources include the Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education. Pop. (1981) 21,414.